With more than 30,000 visitors passing through the gates at 2017 LORIST, Tourism Fair, Fair of Horticulture, Horsebreeding and the Eco World Show, Novi Sad Fair once again geared up to experience visitor numbers exceeding those of the previous year.

The 50th Annual International Tourism Fair and the 8th International Fair of Horse breeding and Equestrian Equipment were formally open yesterday by Vice President and Provincial Secretary for Economy and Tourism Ivan Dokovic.

Novi Sad Fair hosted the second Diplomacy Day event. About thirty different embassy representatives were presented with the Fair’s event calendar and the turn of events by Fair’s Chief Executive Officer Slobodan Cvetkovic. Among them were the embassies of: Russia, France, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Palestine, Malaysia, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Pointing out to Fair’s long-standing tradition of hosting exhibition events, Cvetkovic said it took years of hard work, dedication and faith to achieve success like this.

This year, the International Fair of Hunting, Fishing and Sports, Lorist, is marking its 50th anniversary. “After 50 years of business, Novi Sad Fair attributes its success to the ability of its leadership to continuously foster change and adapt quickly to the new markets as they emerged in the world”, said Cvetkovic. There’s another anniversary underway. As the biggest and most significant expo event, the International Agricultural Fair (IAG) marks the 85th anniversary next year. Offering a one stop opportunity to see and compare a multitude of hands-on demonstrations from the latest farm machinery to the day-to-day supplies available for today’s farming decisions, it’s a showcase of agricultural equipment, products and services. It’s the premier event for professionals who gather annually for networking, education and fun. The 84th Annual International Agricultural Fair, held this May, drew some 1,500 exhibitors and thousands of attendees, which speaks to its unprecedented popularity among farming enthusiasts.

The Serbian Minister for Environmental Protection Goran Trivan hosted yesterday at Novi Sad Fair the ceremonious opening of the 50th Annual International Fair of Hunting, Fishing and Sport Lorist, 24th Annual Fair of Horticulture and 25th Eco World Fair. Trivan congratulated the Novi Sad Fair organizers on the jubilee and seized the opportunity to thank the City of Novi Sad, Province of Vojvodina and Novi Sad Fair for their unqualified support.

“Hunting, fishing, tourism, horsemanship, horticulture and hunting trophies they all may as well be a trophy in the crown of our wealth only if we truly understand they’re all connected with the environment. Our country recognizes the importance of environmental conservation, and that’s why the Ministry of Environmental Protection has been reinstated earlier this year,” said Trivan.

“The fact that our country is one of the top most diverse places in the world speaks to the need and responsibility for preserving the natural environment.”

Minister for Environmental Protection expressed his appreciation and thank to Vojvodinasume and Srbijasume for pledging their support to events such as Lorist, promising the state will support their afforestation efforts, which is perceived as a basic precondition for mitigating the negative effects of climate change.

—Afforestation leads to better living conditions; more forests mean more and better quality water. The Ministry of Environmental Protection will do to the best of its ability to help Novi Sad and the entire Vojvodina region improve their natural environment and drinking water quality. —

“Lorist has achieved enormous success”, said Novi Sad Fair CEO Slobodan Cvetkovic in his opening speech to the 50th Annual International Lorist. “It’s done a fantastic job of promoting the City of Novi Sad and the entire country, sending a message to the world that we’re the hotspot for all things hunting, fishing and sport. At the same time, Novi Sad Fair has been the place where Serbia has showcased its most valuable resources – companies, teams and individuals. Thanks to Lorist, Novi Sad and Serbia have become the gathering spot for hunting, fishing and sports enthusiasts from all over the world, the go-to place for world’s renowned sports equipment manufacturers, and the place where people connect, compare notes and broaden their horizons. Having established expert authority, Novi Sad Fair prides itself on being regarded as the crucial factor in promoting new businesses and alliances, creating new business opportunities and securing multi million dinar deals”, Cvetkovic concluded.

—Registrations numbers are very strong for Lorist this year. 450 exhibitors from 11 countries is quite impressive, with the entry list of new participants being 152. It means 152 new companies will be introduced at 2017 Lorist, which is a significant increase compared to the previous year. —

Novi Sad Fair CEO expressed thanks to the company staff for they professional approach to business, the effort they’ve put into making this all possible. He went on to say that the company’s extraordinary business results will have a positive impact on the development of City and the entire state in terms of strengthening Serbia’s economic position in the region and Europe.

Provincial Secretary for Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry Vuk Radojevic reminded visitors to the Fair that all relevant Provincial Secretariats will be holding a joint exhibition, with the aim to educate on and introduce the general public to Vojvodina’s hunting and fishing resources.

—The Government is dedicated to promoting hunting and fishing through pursuing agricultural policies and awarding grants to agricultural manufacturers. In recent years, 1,500 most important projects have received 180-million-dinar cash injection to boost hunting grounds across the board. In the previous period, 152 hunting districts were established, 18 of which were hunting areas of special purpose; 460 million-dinar worth of funds were allocated for promoting fishing, over 2,400 hectares of catch got reconstructed together with nearly 600 new fishponds built. —

—Novi Sad Mayor Milos Vucevic in the opening statement said that in celebrating 50 years of existence we shouldn’t forget the tough times Lorist operated in and managed to pull through despite the odds, like closed boarders and the world crisis. We kept pushing the boundaries, introduced new additions only to become the gathering place for hunting, fishing and sports enthusiasts as well as for trade experts. —

—None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for the fact that Serbia provides a stable foundation for business, it’s a country that reportedly has “good financial stability”, and according to the Global Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum, Serbia has improved the rankings, moving up 12 places. —

Vucevic went on to say that Novi Sad recently won a double European titles, it was declared the Youth Capital of Europe and the European Capital of Culture 2021. I am confident that the titles will bring Novi Sad significant long-term cultural, as well as economic and social benefits and so we’ll remain committed to developing great potentials for the tourism industry. “However, the biggest trophy of all for us will be to bring up generations of young people with the environmental awareness and active citizenship for nature protection, young people who will acknowledge the importance of staying healthy and fit both physically and mentally. That’s exactly what they learn about here at 2017 Lorist,” Vucevic concluded.

Novi Sad Fair and EEN Office of Business Incubator Novi Sad are organizing 2-days brokerage event - The International Brokerage TOURISM B2B, from 5 October to 6 October 2017, which will take place during 50th International Fair of Tourism in Novi Sad.

The International Fair of Hunting, Fishing and Sport – more commonly known as Lorist – and Fair of Tourism will be held for the 50th year.

The Fair of Hunting and Fishing, Fair of Horticulture and Ecology, and the Fair of Horse Breeding will be held September 30 – October 7, 2017, and the Fair of Sport and Tourism takes place October 5-7, 2017.

More than 50 exhibitors at the organic food and geographical indications pavilion generated a wealth of interest over the past seven days following their successful participation in 84th Annual International Agricultural Fair held in Novi Sad May 13-19.

Althought vendors and exhibitors of farming machinery are still doing number crunching, 19 companies and members of the Business Association of Agricultural Machinery Importers and Exporters reported having sold €5 mil. worth of farm mechanization at the 84th Annual Agricultural Fair, Novi Sad. Additional €10 million worth of preliminary invoices have been submitted to the state grant aid for purchasing agricultural machinery applicants. With Serbian farmers purchasing 70 million dollars’ worth of mechanization in 2016 alone estimates show the Fair’s sales figures make up a staggering 20 percent in turnover.

Novi Sad Fair is wrapping up this year having generated profit. 12 events were held in 8 different time slots, with participation of around 2,000 exhibitors and attendance of more than 250,000 visitors, which represents a 32% increase in comparison to last year.